.http file guides
Everything about working with .http and .rest request files on Windows — the syntax, how to run them, and the patterns that keep them clean. Written to match what Karve actually runs, and useful even if you never install it.
The .http file format
The practical syntax guide — requests, headers, bodies, comments, ### separators, and file variables. Start here.
How to run .http files on Windows
Five ways to run a request file — from double-clicking it in File Explorer to IDE extensions and CLI runners — and when to pick which.
Variables & environments
Point one file at dev, staging, and prod — @var declarations, http-client.env.json, and dotenv .env environments.
API authentication
Bearer tokens, Basic auth with automatic base64 encoding, API keys — and the habit that keeps every secret out of Git.
Request bodies
POST JSON with the blank-line rule, form-urlencoded data, PUT/PATCH payloads, and variables inside bodies — with copy-paste examples.
Running .http files in CI
The free CLI runners (ijhttp, httpyac), a GitHub Actions smoke-check example, and how secrets stay out of the repo.
Request history
Where the VS Code REST Client, JetBrains IDEs, and Visual Studio keep past requests — how much survives, and how Karve's searchable history differs.
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